Sunday next before Lent 8am 2nd March 2014

It’s three days before the Lent challenge and it’s natural to think about that this morning at the eucharist.

Each year Lent’s given us to remind us, as the Bible says to run with perseverance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12.2).

We’re given the Lent challenge, forty days of training, to help us make a difference to the world, the church and to our spiritual lives. I put it that way round to keep our sights on the big picture. The training we accomplish will bring the power and direction of God more to bear upon the world through you and me.

As we go to his altar this morning we might have to face the truth before God – that we’re really out of training.

The bicycles before you isn’t the sort you find in the gym but it’s meant as a teaching aid for us all this morning

How does a bicycle work? How does it get its power and direction?  It receives its power and direction from the cyclist through its spokes to its wheels.

You and I are believers on the move. We travel empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit through the disciplines, spokes of the Christian life especially prayer, study and action.

Lent is an opportunity to refresh our discipleship by fresh attention to our spiritual discipline. You don't get disciples without discipline.

Our sisters and brothers of the Muslim faith have provided us in their keeping of Ramadan with an example of discipleship we should ponder. If only a handful of Christians took Lent as seriously as they take Ramadan there would be a spiritual revival in our land!

The Lent challenge is there from Wednesday. Forty days to get into training. 

Coming back to those spokes that bring power and direction to the wheels of a bike what are the spiritual spokes or disciplines you and I can attend to?

I'll give you three. Three spokes would be enough if they were broad spokes and I'm talking broad headings at this stage - prayer, study and action.

Spoke 1 - Prayer. I came back from Gran Canaria a month ago where I was reminded that prayer is like sunbathing. You need to book your lounger, strip off and lounge.

Several people have told me over the years how much they appreciate the silences in the Eucharist. Try a silence at home. You looking at God and God looking at you. Try stopping everything for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes a day from Wednesday. Book your space, strip off your preoccupations and lounge in God's presence. I can't promise you it'll be like Gran Canaria but it will make a difference to you and through you to the world.

Sunbathing can be a corporate activity. In Lent there's a 25 min extra Eucharist on Tuesday morning at 10.30am and Stations of the Cross on Saturdays at 5.30pm.

Spoke 2 - Study. One of the things that is really getting to many of us as Christians is the way Christian faith gets ridiculed and sidelined in the United Kingdom. We lose our confidence. Lent is an opportunity to build up that confidence and this year we’ve got the four week Premier Radio Talking Points listen again on Tuesday evenings and Thursday afternoons to help with that.

Maybe a weekly course is difficult for you.  Pick up your Bible. Read a Gospel - Mark only takes 90 minutes for an average reader. There’s a 100 minute catechism on our Church website called Firmly I Believe CD set – 40 3min talks on the creed, sacraments, commandments and prayer with mood music backing.

The last spoke - Action. We need to pray and to study but most of the difference we make to the world comes through unselfish Christian action. I hesitate to illustrate this but charity begins at home. Lent is a time to identify and address what and whom we're neglecting.

It may be a time to look at best use of our time and talents and see how these may be more fully woven into God’s work among us. I shared the other week about our need for help in administration and in the sacristy as well as for new PCC members, and a new Churchwarden for James’ term, alas, comes to an end next month. The words are shocking to me – next month! Rather than me knocking on doors may Jesus do some knocking on hearts so folk will knock on my door with offers of service and I’m not just talking the big ask of ‘Churchwarden’  – Christianity is after all a supernatural religion!

Prayer, study, action - alone or with the Church - these are disciplines we should ponder and refresh this Lent. These are spokes given to help God's power and direction flow more through us into a needy world.

God grant us all a happy and holy Lent! Jesus grant that fruits of his passion may grow in us! Come, Holy Spirit, and give us all fresh power and direction so the kingdom of this world may become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ!